My top toppings on pancake day…

Today is Shrove Tuesday or as we all know and love it “Pancake Day” so I thought I would share my five fave toppings;

Ice cream and strawberries

Bacon and maple syrup

Greek yogurt with cocoa nibs and chopped banana

Blueberries and maple syrup

The classic… Lemon and (coconut) sugar OF COURSE!

You might notice that I have a bit of a sweet tooth when it comes to pancakes!!!!

To go with all these fantastic toppings, here is my batter recipe. Just remember to make it well in advance so it has time to settle before you use it.

100g Spelt Flour (or plain flour)

2 Eggs free range of course

200ml skimmed milk (or nut-based alternative)

Small pinch of Himalayan rock salt

Add bit of protein powder (optional)

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix the milk and egg together and add to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth with an electric mixer. Leave in the fridge for an hour or too to rest. Give it another quick whiz before you start making the pancakes.

When it comes to making the pancakes, put a drizzle of olive oil (or your chosen oil) in a frying pan. Get the pan hot, ideally until it starts smoking. Then VERY CAREFULLY with a piece of kitchen roll wipe round the pan to remove the excess oil. I use oil even in a non stick pan because it adds to the overall flavour. Now pour in a small amount of the batter, swirl the batter round in the pan and put back onto the heat. Once the top of the pancake is dry turn it over to cook it for one minute or so on the other side.

If like me you’ll have family descending on you for pancake day then you’ll want to eat together. To enable you to do this stack up your cooked pancakes with small sheets of grease proof paper in between to stop them sticking together and keep them warm in a low heat oven.

Vegan pancake recipe

We mustn’t forget our vegan friends – or daughter in my case. Here’s my vegan friendly pancake batter. These make American style pancakes so are thicker. Also the batter doesn’t need to rest like the crepe batter.

150g Spelt or plain flour

A mashed banana

150ml Nut-based milk alternative

Water to loosen the mix if necessary

1tsp baking power

Protein powder (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together. As you’re using baking powder you don’t need to whisk quite as much as the traditional crepe recipe. The resulting batter will be thicker. Heat the pan, add oil as above, then dollop the mix onto pan. Once the top is dry turn the pancake over and voila… done!?

“In case you forgot to remind yourself this morning… you have a brilliant mind. Your thoughts create your reality. Your smiles lights up a room. You’re not as fat as you think. You’re doing a brilliant job of this life you’re living. Don’t let the outside world affect your inside being. Always speak to yourself with kind words. AND never forget to love yourself.”